Which Autosomal DNA Test Should You Take?

The DNA testing marketplace continues to evolve rapidly. What would cost about $400 just 3 years ago can now be purchased for about $99. It is hard to imagine that this level of price cutting can continue. But wouldn't it be nice for us DNA junkies if they could? Not only could we take more tests. Many more potential cousins would add their information to DNA databases.

Until FTDNA's just announced Sizzling Summer Sale, it was cheaper to take 23andMe's test at $99 and then transfer your downloaded raw data to FTDNA at $69 than it was to pay full $289 for Family Finder. Now that FTDNA has (at least for the next few weeks) reduced Family Finder to $99 this economic incentive may not be as strong. However, starting with 23andMe and transferring your data allows you to fish in both databases for cousins. It also allows you to take advantage of the analytical tools of both companies AND the health related information of 23andMe. FTDNA allows 3rd party transfer from Ancestry's autosomal data as well.

However, FTDNA is the only company that accepts raw data from another lab test. It also is the only one that is now storing DNA samples for future testing. This can only be taken advantage of if FTDNA was the original tester of your sample. This is particularly important when the person being tested is elderly so that their sample is available for tests that may become available in the future. 

When you are on a limited budget, you need to weigh what you may learn from further analyzing your own genome vs what you potentially could learn from testing another family member. Y-DNA testing of a sibling (male) will generally give identical results as those of the first brother tested. With mitochondrial DNA testing this is true for siblings of both sexes. However, with autosomal DNA testing sibling testing does not give identical or near identical results. In general siblings share about 50% of their autosomal DNA. However, they can range from as low as 37% to as much as 63%. This is not critical if one is trying to match 2nd cousins or closer relatives. It does start to matter when one is seeking to find 3rd cousins or more distant relatives.

When fishing for cousins in any company's database, you and any of your siblings will be almost certain (more that a 99% chance) to match a 2nd cousin. At the 3rd cousin level your chances (and those of a sibling) for matching someone in a given database are about 90%. At this level of cousinhood it is still likely that you will be matching most of the same individuals that your siblings match. However, at the 4th cousin level, you and each of your siblings will have only about a 50% chance of matching a particular individual in the database who is in fact a cousin. Your match list and those of your sibling(s) will start to vary considerably. At the 5th cousin level and more distant very significantly. Each of you will match with about 10% to 15% of your actual cousins in the database but many of them will be different individuals. Beyond 5th cousins you will still get lots of matches because you have so many cousins at this level. However, you (and a sibling) will each have a less that 2% chance of matching a particular cousin in a database. 

Since the matching efficiency declines down this slippery slope with each generation, it is important to test the oldest possible member of your family for best autosomal results. This is only marginally true with Y-chromosome or mitochondrial DNA testing.

All of this is important to keep in mind when you are allocating your limited dollars and deciding which test to take AND which family member to test. 23andMe currently offers $20 off additional test kits when they are ordered at the same time. 

Happy testing and may you find lots of new cousins!
         

Supreme Court Gives Us Ownership Of Our Genes

By now you have probably heard about yesterday's US Supreme Court decision in the case of AMP v. Myriad Genetics. In that decision a unanimous court ruled that corporations could not patent a naturally occurring human gene even if they discovered its location in the human genome. The ACLU, which had brought the case to the court, used the following image to declare victory.

ACLU Facebook post

That was a huge victory for those of us who are optimistic about the promise of personalized genetic medicine in which our own particular genetic make up is used to both diagnose and tailor treatment of our human disorders.

After the decision was announced Myriad made a statement that other patents that it owned would maintain its position. These would include its proprietary database that allows Myriad to interpret the results of its BRCA testing. All of us who have taken genetic genealogy seriously have learned that that DNA results, taken by themselves, have little meaning. It is only when these results can be compared with a large number of other results can meaningful interpretations be made. 

Fortunately Myriad's statement, while perhaps technically correct, is somewhat misleading. Other labs are already stepping forward to offer alternatives to Myriad's monopoly supported pricing. What Myriad was charging about $4,000 for is now available at the drastically reduced price of $995 at a respected and accredited laboratory. Thanks to CeCe Moore, Your Genetic Genealogist for the heads up about the announcement of this breakthrough in affordability. 

In a press release picked up by the Wall Street Journal, the Houston based company Gene by Gene announced the availability of BRCA testing in the US that it had previously only been able to offer abroad. Many of you are already customers of Gene by Gene through its Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) tests for family history information.

The developments of the last two days make BRCA testing much more affordable and probably is only the beginning of what competition in the marketplace will do to make genetic testing a routine part of our medical care.

Thank you to the US Supreme Court for allowing us to own our own genes!


Disclaimer: Although Dr D coordinates two Y-chromosome surname DNA projects based on results from FTDNA, he has no financial interest in the company.

Autosomal DNA Transfer Sale

FTDNA has announced a limited time sale of transfers of your autosomal DNA test results from 23andMe (Relative Finder) and Ancestry. The advantages of so doing are primarily to allow you to "fish in another pond" for potential cousins who have tested at FTDNA but not at the service at which you have already tested and to be able to compare your all your matches with FTDNA's analysis tools. If you already have Family Finder results, you will gain only a very minimal benefit from such a transfer. Note below that earlier versions of 23andMe's Relative Finder test are not compatible with the upgrade process.

Autosomal DNA Transfer  was $99.00   now  $49.00

 ORDER NOW

This option is available for men and women who have autosomal DNA results from a third party company that used the Illumina OmniExpress Plus Genotyping BeadChip, such as 23andMe© (known as the Relative Finder) and AncestryDNA™. You may use this option to upload your raw data to the Family Tree DNA Family Finder database to take advantage of features associated with the Family Finder product, such as relative matches and the Population Finder. This data transfer does not include any Y-DNA or mtDNA results from any company, nor does it involve the transfer of any physical DNA sample. Learn more...The $49 Introductory fee will provide you with a Family Tree DNA personal page   which will allow you to:

• View matches related within about the last 5 generations and predicted relationship ranges.*

• See percentages of your ancestral make-up from 62 world reference populations such as Native-American, Middle Eastern (including Jewish), African, West and East European.

• Confirm close relationships regardless of gender.

• Generate additional genealogical information..

Please note, uploaded files are batched once a week then run through the conversion program. Results take between 6-10 weeks based on volume. You will be notified by e-mail when your results are available.
*You will be matched with others who have also taken the Family Finder test. However, if you come from an under-represented population, it is possible that you will not find matches right away. Your matches largely depend on how your DNA compares to our database. As our database is constantly growing, we will send you e-mail notifications about any new matches calculated to be third cousins or closer.
The 23andMe© V2 test, sold prior to November 24, 2010,is NOT compatible with our Family Finder product and is NOT accepted in the Autosomal DNA Transfer.
IMPORTANT: Your results from Family Tree DNA compared to another company's results will be similar, however, they WILL NOT be exact. Due to Family Tree DNA's proprietary algorithm your matches, centiMorgan totals, and centimorgan length will vary.
ATTENTION: If you are already a Family Tree DNA customer, please log into your personal account to transfer your third party results and avoid creating a duplicate record.

YDNA Upgrade Sale at FTDNA for Father's Day

FTDNA has just announced a YDNA upgrade sale. If you or a close family member have already tested and you have been contemplating upgrading it to improve its precision, the following sale may be of interest.

Dear FTDNA Customer,   Since last summer's upgrade sale was such huge success, we thought we'd repeat history! We are offering discounts to our Y-DNA upgrade products just in time for father's day.  So, please spread the word and we'll make this year's upgrade sale even bigger!

From June 12, 2013 through June 19, 2013,  we will reduce the following prices. Y-DNA 12 to 25 was $49 Now $35 Y-DNA 12 to 37 was $99 Now $69 Y-DNA 12 to 67 was $189 Now $148 Y-DNA 25 to 37 was $49 Now $35 Y-DNA 25 to 67 was $148 Now $114 Y-DNA 25 to 111 was $249 Now $224 Y-DNA 37 to 67 was $99 Now $79 Y-DNA 37 to 111 was $220 Now $188 Y-DNA 67 to 111 was $129 Now $109   To order an upgrade at these special prices you may log into  your personal page with your kit number and password.  Click on the "Order Upgrade" button located on the  right side of the menu bar. Then click on the "Special  Offers" button. ALL ORDERS MUST BE PLACED AND PAID FOR  BY 11:59pm, JUNE 19, 2013, TO RECEIVE THE SALE PRICE.

DNA Day Presentations Live Streamed Thursday

The International Society of Genetic Genealogists (ISOGG) and the Southern California Genealogical Society (SCGS) have just announced that several presentations from Thursday (June 6th) program will be live streamed. These presentations will not be free but will be offered at a price considerably less than the price for those of us attending live. The line up is outstanding.

These pay-per-view live streams are in addition to the free live stream events previously announced by SCOG from its Genealogy Jamboree which begins on Friday. These free streams cover a wide variety of genealogical topics. Only one of these sessions is on DNA testing. 

The full announcement, released overnight, is re-posted below for your convenience.

The International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) and the Southern California Genealogical Society (SCGS) announce that four sessions of the "Family History and DNA: Genetic Genealogy in 2013" conference will be live streamed on a pay-for-view basis and available for viewing by genetic genealogists around the world.

READ THE ENTIRE POST ON THE JAMBOREE BLOG 

"We are especially excited to be able to share four advanced-level sessions with our remote audience. We believe that these sessions will be of the most interest to those project administrators, DNA consultants and other more experienced users of DNA information," according to CeCe Moore, genetic genealogist, Southern California Regional Director for ISOGG and one of the speakers.

"The cost of $30 per individual presentation includes the session's syllabus," continued Alice Fairhurst, president of the Southern California Genealogical Society and also a speaker at the event.

"We are offering a special discount for those who purchase a Full-Day Pass at the discounted price of $100. Full-Day Pass holders will receive a digital download of the entire conference syllabus of 12 articles at no additional cost."

The sessions to be pay-per-view streamed include:

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Tim Janzen, MD
TH004 - "Mapping Your Chromosomes with Autosomal DNA"
This presentation will describe techniques of doing chromosome mapping and triangulation using autosomal DNA results from 23andMe's test and Family Tree DNA's Family Finder test.

1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Blaine T. Bettinger, Ph.D.
TH008 - "Using Third-Party Tools to Analyze Your Autosomal DNA Result s"
Although DNA testing companies provide an analysis of test results, there are many third-party tools that allow test-takers to use those results to learn even more about their genomic heritage.

2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
CeCe Moore
TH010 - "Working with Autosomal DNA: Genealogical Case Studies "
atDNA holds endless potential for learning about your family history and what your ancestors may have passed on to you. Practical methods and examples from the presenter's research will be reviewed.

TH014 - 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Alice M. Fairhurst and David F. Reynolds
"The Changing Y-DNA Haplotree and Its Impact "
Learn how and why Y-DNA trees can differ and how the ISOGG team determines the location of SNPs on the tree. Find out how the most cutting edge SNP discoveries are unraveling the mystery of human ancestry.

To register for the $100 Full-Day Pass, use this registration link. Those who select the Full-Day Pass will receive a digital download of the complete syllabus for the "Family History and DNA" conference.

We are grateful that these outstanding genetic genealogists have agreed to shared their presentations via live stream. We hope that you will help us spread the word about this exciting program by tweet, blog post, email or even an old-fashioned phone call.

Just a few notes:

Readers who are familiar with the SCGS Jamboree Extension webinar program  will ask whether these sessions will be available in the Members-only website archive. The Bettinger and Janzen presentations will not be available at the speakers' request. The Moore and Fairhurst/Reynolds sessions will be placed online in Q3 2013.

One other note: Jamboree is offering live-streamed video  of several of the sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Thanks to the sponsorship of Ancestry.com, these sessions are offered FREE of charge. One of the sessions on Friday is the DNA Ask The Experts Panel Discussion with Joanne Mountain, PhD from 23andme; Ken Chahine from AncestryDNA; Bennett Greenspan from Family Tree DNA; CeCe Moore and Alice Fairhurst.

This is an outstanding opportunity to view and learn without having to travel to "Beautiful Downtown Burbank."

Free RUSA History Section Genealogy Preconference, 28 June 2013, Chicago, IL

This is the kind of genealogy programming in which I would have been involved over the last several years. In the previous post I mentioned that I had decided to step asside from ALA. This is one of the activities that I will miss the most:

2013 RUSA Genealogy Preconference“Behind the Genealogy Reference Desk: Chicago Style Genealogy”American Library Association Annual Conference, Chicago, IL The History Section of RUSA is delighted to announce a FREE genealogy workshop to be held on Friday, June 28, 2013 at the Harold Washington Library Center of the Chicago Public Library (downtown Chicago).  Sponsored by ProQuest, this all-day event will run from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.  A delicious luncheon is included, along with a free pass to the ALA Exhibit Hall. This can’t-miss program features an exciting line-up of speakers and topics: ·         “ChicagoAncestors.org – Discover the Past by Address,” Matt Rutherford.  ChicagoAncestors.org is a project produced by the Newberry Library and uses Google Maps to help genealogists and local historians discover and share historical information about Chicago.
 ·         “And the Rockets' Red Glare: Sources for War of 1812 Research,” Curt B. Witcher, FUGA, FIGS.  This presentation will cover both popular and lesser known sources for War of 1812 research, including a close-up look at the War of 1812 pensions being digitized through the FGS Preserve the Pensions initiative.
 ·         “Genealogical Education Opportunities,” Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL.  Genealogy patron questions are rising.  Educate yourself through this interactive workshop to evaluate which learning opportunities are best for your own needs and budget.
 ·         “OCLC WorldCat and FamilySearch,” Chip Nilges and Michael J. Hall.  Learn how the recent partnership can enhance the research experience from the beginner to the expert.
 ·         “Beginning African American Research,” Sandy Joseph.  Discover the many African American resources that are available to you and your patrons. To register for this event, please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WJKYJF2.  Attendee information will be sent to you in a private email. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Michael Hall, Preconference Chair (hallmj@familysearch.org), or Bill Forsyth at ProQuest (william.forsyth@proquest.com).

If you are going to be in Chicago area for ALA next month and are interested in genealogy, either for your own research or to help library users do their own, this event can be a great educational resource for you. The cost of this program is underwritten by ProQuest which markets Ancestry Library Edition, Heritage Quest and various other online maps and newspapers databases to libraries and other institutions.

Jamboree Live and Streaming

With good reason the annual Jamboree sponsored by the Southern California Genealogical Society and held each June at the Burbank Airport Hilton is one of the biggest and best genealogy events in the US.

When I lived on the West Coast, I attended each year except when I worked on the other end of my family tree by being present for the birth of a grandson in Nashville.

Now I live in Nashville. I was torn as to whether or not I could justify attending Jamboree. As some of you may know, this is the year I am quitting the American Library Association "cold turkey". After attending 42 consecutive annual conferences and almost all Midwinter sessions, it was time to move on. Over the years I had been an active member of almost every committee or task force of ALA that had to do with personnel, education and ethics. Actually, I had originally intended to make my exit two years ago. However, I was offered the one assignment I could not turn down -- chair of the genealogy committee. I have constructed a "methadone" schedule to ease my exit from ALA.

In February I attended my first RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City. Any conference there has the double attraction of being near the Family History Library. The Library is within walking distance from our time share where I long have been spending two weeks a year to do research. My second week there this year will be in August during The Federation of East European Family History Societies Research Workshop.

The 9th International Genetic Genealogy Conference sponsored by FTDNA for project administrators is, to me, a must attend event. It will be in Houston on November 9-10. 

As I was creating my post-ALA professional schedule, I was torn about kind of "group" meeting to attend between February and August. I really was not thrilled about NGS in Las Vegas. Next year in Richmond is much more appealing.

Then the Southern California Genealogical Society and the International Society of Genetic Genealogists (ISOGG) upped the ante. They added a full day FAMILY HISTORY AND DNA: GENETIC GENEALOGY IN 2013. It is hard to imagine a more prestigous I was hooked and immediately registered. I even agreed to facilitate one of the discussion groups the last hour of the day. If you can be in Burbank that day, you will be in for a treat.

If you cannot attend you may be able to sample some of the content the following day:

Live-Streamed Jamboree Sessions Announced

"SCGS is there for you, no matter where you are." That statement is never as true as it will be the coming 10 days, during the Society's annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree.

The Southern California Genealogical Society announces its schedule of live-streamed sessions of the 2013 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. The "JamboSTREAM" webcast is free to viewers and is made available through the gracious support of Ancestry.com.

Note below that the DNA Day programs are not included in the streaming offerings. Those available are from the extensive offerings from Jamboree proper:

Live-Stream Video Schedule Friday, June 7 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM FR001: Basic Military Research   Craig Roberts Scott MA, CG 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM FR016: The Ethical Genealogist  Judy G. Russell JD, CG Handout  4:30 PM to 6:00 PM FR022: DNA Panel Discussion - Hear it from the Experts. CeCe Moore; Alice Fairhurst; Ken Chahine PhD; Joanna Mountain PhD; Bennett Greenspan Co-Sponsored by International Society of Genetic Genealogy Saturday, June 8 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM SA004: Researching Your War of 1812 Ancestor  Craig Roberts Scott MA,CG 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM SA018: Genealogical Periodicals: Where the Answers Are  Kory L. Meyerink MLS, AG, FUGA 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM SA020: Master Using Google for Common Surname Searches  Lisa Louise Cooke 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM SA032: Turning Genealogy into Family History: Creating Stories from Stats  Jean Wilcox Hibben PhD, MA, CG 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM SA041: Finding Your Family in the French and Indian Wars  Leland Meitzler 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM SA048: Staying Safe Online   Thomas MacEntee Sunday, June 9 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM SU003: A Guided Tour of Cyndi's List 2.0   Cyndi Ingle Howells 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM SU017: Scanning and Photo Retouching for Beginners: Foundations and Fundamentals  Tom Underhill 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM SU020: Strange and Unusual Sources for Irish Family History   James Ryan, PhD 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM SU029: Lessons from the Archive   Denise Levenick

All of these sessions should be first-rate. If your interest is in the application of DNA to family history, you should try to watch the late afternoon (Pacific time) panel which will also include Katherine Borges, co-founder of ISOGG, as well as the listed luminaries who are at the cutting edge of genetic genealogy. It appears that one must register for each "event" separately. Apparently the registration process is working well for those in the US and Canada but somewhat problematically for those outside these two countries.

Dr D would be very interested in the experiences of any of you who watch or attempt to watch any of these streams. FamilySearch has ambitious plans to stream some of RootsTech next February.

Got Neanderthal DNA?

Do you know how much of your DNA is Neanderthal? You can find out at 23andMe. Actually my reported 2.5% is below the 2.7% average for those of European descent in which most of the surviving Neanderthal DNA is found today. You can find out many more useful things about possible living cousins, your health and deep ancestry for $99. The Neanderthal thing is more of a curiosity now; but could it mean anything? No one knows yet. Here is what 23andMe currently reports to me:

An estimated 2.5% of your DNA is from Neanderthals.
Dave Dowell (you)2.5%
22nd percentile
Average European user
2.7%

MODERN HUMANS

• Higher brow

• Narrower shoulders

• Slightly taller

NEANDERTHALS

• Heavy eyebrow ridge

• Long, low, bigger skull

• Prominent nose with developed nasal chambers for cold-air protection 

This is a new and as yet inexact subbranch of genomic science. As more people have been tested the European average has inched up from the 2.6% figure that was used when I was first tested at 23andMe to the 2.7% figure now used. 

Even my Neanderthal component in my DNA is calculated differently by other labs. The National Geographic Geno 2.0 project reports Denisovan components as well as Neanderthal. This leads to a slightly different Neanderthal component result than above.

YOUR HOMINID ANCESTRY

When our ancestors first migrated out of Africa around 60,000 years ago, they were not alone. At that time, at least two other species of hominid cousins walked the Eurasian landmass: Neanderthals and Denisovans. Most non-Africans are about 2% Neanderthal. The Denisovan component of your Geno 2.0 results is more experimental, as we are still working to determine the best way to assess the percentage Denisovan ancestry you carry. The evolution of this data is another way you are actively involved in helping advance knowledge of anthropological genetics!

• 1.8%

  NEANDERTHAL

  Your Neanderthal makeup as a percentage of your genome

  LEARN MORE

   

• 2.1%

  DENISOVAN

  Denisovan makeup as a percentage of your genome

So what does this mean? For now it is mainly a curiosity. As this branch of inquiry matures, it may mean much more -- or not. Our knowledge base of Neanderthal is small and our knowledge base of Denisovan DNA (found so far only in South East Asia) is currently minuscule.

23andMe offers this additional information on Neanderthals:

More about Neanderthals

Neanderthals were a group of humans who lived in Europe and Western Asia. They are the closest evolutionary relatives of modern humans, but they went extinct about 30,000 years ago. The first Neanderthals arrived in Europe as early as 600,000 to 350,000 years ago. Neanderthals — Homo neanderthalensis — and modern humans — Homo sapiens — lived along side each other for thousands of years. Genetic evidence suggest that they interbred and although Neanderthals disappeared about 30,000 years ago, traces of their DNA — between 1 percent and 4 percent — are found in all modern humans outside of Africa. Apart from the curiosity of finding what percentage of a modern human's genome is Neanderthal, the information has great value for science. By comparing our DNA with Neanderthal DNA, scientists can detect the most recent evolutionary changes as we developed into fully modern humans. Read more about the science behind this tool.

Who Do You Think You Are? is back

In a press issued today, it was announced that Who Do You Think You Are? would be returning to the airwaves in two months:

Eight New Episodes of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' to Premiere July 23 on TLC

via press release:
TLC BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO “Who Do You Think You Are?”All-new episodes, helmed by EPs Lisa Kudrow & Dan Bucatinsky, set to premiere July 23 TLC has ordered all-new episodes of the fan-favorite reality series Who Do You Think You Are?, with production already underway, the network announced today. 

Celebrities such as Christina Applegate, Cindy Crawford, Zooey Deschanel, and Chris O’Donnell have signed up for the emotional journey, with additional subjects to be announced. Each discovers amazing details about their family trees’ deep roots.

While we wait for that celebrity reality show to resume we have a very offbeat genealogy show to tide us over. You may either love this show or hate it and it may take you ten or fifteen minutes to decide. You may want to read a New York Times review or an Los Angeles Times review to help you know what to expect.

The "mockumentary" Family Tree on Sunday nights on HBO is certainly a different kind of genealogy program. This comedic series of misadventures experienced by the zany cast of characters is so crazy it is enjoyable if you have a certain sense of humor. As Kevin Chadwick, father of the main character admonishes his son, “Genealogy is like any other ‘ology’ – best left to the scientists.” 

The first two episodes of Family Tree have already aired and can be viewed online.